Former Iraqi diplomat: Israel should put end to secret Arab visits

Peace between Israel and the Arab world will come not through governments, but rather through people-to-people contact, Hamad Al-Sharifi, a former Iraqi diplomat, said on Monday.

Al-Sharifi, in Israel as a guest of the Foreign Ministry for five days, told The Jerusalem Post from the Knesset that Israel was making an error in allowing secret visits by Arab officials. Instead, he said, these visits should take place in broad daylight.